How do the Protestants do it?

[Mommyof02green]

I’m well aware of that. It’s not the same as Bible study.

When I was going through RCIA, we were dismissed from Mass after the Liturgy of the Word to discuss the “Word”. I miss that time when we discussed the Scripture readings in depth. Currently, I read the preface to the Scripture readings in my St. Joseph’s missal before Mass begins or I read the verses before and after each reading from the Bible on Saturday night.

Scott Hahn’s web-page offers a look into the Sunday Scripture reading click here: salvationhistory.com/library/scripture/churchandbible/homilyhelps/index.cfm

I think adding this to the “homily” given by the priest you will have a good “base”.

Also do you still see some of the people from the RCIA class at church???

If so, why don’t you ask if any of them want to go to coffee after Mass and talk about the Scripture Readings and Father’s homily???

Or talk to your family about the Scripture Readings and Father’s homily???

 

[LeahInancsi]

Scott Hahn’s web-page offers a look into the Sunday Scripture reading click here: salvationhistory.com/library/scripture/churchandbible/homilyhelps/index.cfm

I’m familiar with this website and go there quite often.

Mommyof02green:

Also do you still see some of the people from the RCIA class at church???
If so, why don’t you ask if any of them want to go to coffee after Mass and talk about the Scripture Readings and Father’s homily???

Most of the people from RCIA have stayed with the 11am Mass. I’ve started attending the 1pm Mass because they needed EMHC’s (which I am).

Mommyof02green:

I think adding this to the “homily” given by the priest you will have a good “base”.

My priests are very good about incorporating the scripture readings into the homily, but it is usually the “message” in today’s world that is the emphasis.

Mommyof02green:

Or talk to your family about the Scripture Readings and Father’s homily???

My family is Protestant. While no one has said anything negative about my conversion, I get the feeling that they weren’t thrilled about it. I know my mother is tired of hearing about the Catholic church, etc.

These are great suggestions. My point is that I miss the fellowship that we had in RCIA and was hoping to find it in the Bible Study course. The course itself is good, but the implementation is not real great. I was hoping that the Religious Education Director (he taught RCIA) would be doing a lecture at the Bible study, but no such luck.

 

[Fidelis]

I guess I just dont like the term “good” because in the eyes of God we are not good.** I forget the verse but He thinks of us as filthy rags.After we have made a true profession of faith and the Holy Spirit comes into us are we looked upon as pure and blameless in God’s eyes.**

The verse you are thinking of is from Isaiah. It was the one used by Martin Luther to justify his novel idea that when we are justified, we are not really clean, we are only looked at as clean by God: in his words “like piles of manure covered by snow” (imputed righteousness) Of course, the verse from Isaiah 64:6, taken in context, says nothing of the sort. The Church has always taught that through faith and baptism, we are really made clean (infused righteousness). “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.”(2 Cor 5:17)

In our church we dont tell our little ones to be good. We tell them you have to believe in Jesus Christ and follow him and try to be more Christ-like.

Which amounts to being good, does it not?

Of course talk about the cross and what that means.

As was mentioned, havein a crucifix in the home is an excellent conversation starter, teaching aid, and reminder of this.

 

[mozart-250]

Everytime I talk to 2 Methodists, it seems like I’m talking to 2 people of different denominations. My best friend is Methodist, and some of the stuff she tells me about her church is notably inconsistent with what I’ve heard from other Methodists about their churches.

How true

 

[sandusky]

Fidelis:

The verse you are thinking of is from Isaiah. It was the one used by Martin Luther to justify his novel idea that when we are justified, we are not really clean, we are only looked at as clean by God: in his words “like piles of manure covered by snow” (imputed righteousness)

I think the quote you attribute to Luther is a bit of “legend.” I’ve never seen any clear attribution to his writing that statement, though he has made statements using “dung,” but not this exact quote.

Also, it is more likely that he took it from Paul:

Philippians 3:7-9

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom
I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish
[Gk *skubalon

—“excrement, dung”] so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis OF FAITHIt would seem that Luther’s sentiments are first birthed and written by Paul. Also, Paul talks about a “righteousness not his own…but Christ’s righteousness” given as a gift BY FAITH.

Paul’s view of his own righteousness jives perfectly with Is 64:6-7 as well.

 

[ricmat]

Scott Hahn’s book “Understanding the Scriptures” from Midwest Theological Forum is an EXCELLENT book to start Bible study with. It puts everything in context, is an interesting read, and about every page or two you get one of those WOW moments.

theologicalforum.org/marketplace/product_desc.asp?Sku=1-890177-47-4&Category=103

We use this in our parish for high school confirmation classes, and may expand it’s use to RCIA and K of C enlightenment.

 

[Julianna]

I was raised in both worlds. I was baptized Catholic, as my mother promised (in writing) back in the day. Every other Sunday, my siblings and I went to church with her to the Baptist church. It was just like another poster had said, after services, you go to Sunday school. I remember singing songs where the lyrics came from the Bible. Of course, my very first song was “Yes, Jesus loves, because the Bible tells me so” Everything was Bible verse based.

The next Sunday, we went to the Catholic church with dad. Our catechism classes were on Mondays after school from 4-5:30. This was in MA. The “public school” bus drove us there and drove us home. Not sure if it is still that way. But it is not that way here in the south.

When I lived in SC, the catechism classes were held on Sunday afternoon. As the parish grew, a new Catholic school was built and they were going to continue the classes on Sunday afternoon. Someone in the parish who was paying attention, noticed that Wednesday afternoon or Wednesday night would be better, as most of the Baptist and other Protestant churches had services and Bible study on Wednesday evenings. As a teenager, I was always invited to go to this or that youth group or prayer service at a Protestant church.

Now I live in NC, and every Wednesday evening, from about 5:30-8:00 pm, every Baptist church (now remember, this is the south) and most Holiness churches are packed to the rafters, and the traffic really picks up, as does the “Dairy Queen” around 8:15. Again, Bible study. Not kids…all adults.

In addition to Wednesday night, Sunday night is another biggee.
Again, mostly adults. I noticed that the teen youth programs are well attended, and they also have buses in the parking lot for various trips during the summer and school breaks.

When we would visit SC during the summer, my Baptist grandmother would take us to church and of course I was invited to Sunday school as well. That is how I learned much about the Bible. The neighbors that lived down the street from her were Catholic, and we also went to church with them while we were there. Why didn’t I stay with Baptists…well…truthfully, I like rock and roll, I like to have a alcholic drink every once in awhile, and I also love to dance. And I can wear blue jeans to church (not the morning mass, Sat night or Sun night)…and I can pick up my kids from Catholic school wearing pants or shorts.

I believe that more and more catholic churches are getting into Bible Study. Which is not a bad thing. The Bible does speak to you…maybe not the way it speaks to me…it reaches your heart when you need it the most.

Juli

I have never seen this as a Catholic.

 

[LeahInancsi]

Scott Hahn’s book “Understanding the Scriptures” from Midwest Theological Forum is an EXCELLENT book to start Bible study with. It puts everything in context, is an interesting read, and about every page or two you get one of those WOW moments.

theologicalforum.org/marketplace/product_desc.asp?Sku=1-890177-47-4&Category=103

We use this in our parish for high school confirmation classes, and may expand it’s use to RCIA and K of C enlightenment.

I’ve all but hit the send button to order this book. I found it at a discount on Allcatholicbooks.com. I was looking for the “WOWs” in a Bible study class.

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Mystophilus]

…and why can’t the Catholics do it? Teach the Bible, that is.

It’s no secret that the Catholic church has not been big on teaching the Bible. I fully understand that over 2,000 years the very wise men of the Magisterium have studied every detail of the Bible thoroughly and interpreted it via the Catechism.

As has been mentioned, the average Protestant tends to know the Bible better than the average Catholic does merely because Protestants spend more time studying it, and Cat and others have done a very good job of providing reasons for that.

Of course, a corollary applies: the average Catholic knows a great deal more about the Fathers and Church history than the average Protestant does. It could also be noted that the Bible which the Protestant knows is shorter than the Bible which the Catholic knows-]: i.e., the Protestant knows more about less/-].

That’s all well and fine, but I want to know about all of the Bible stories and their meaning. Situations such as Zechariah and Elizabeth who had a very similar experience to Abraham and Sarah, etc., etc., etc… I want to know EVERYTHING!

If you really want to understand the Old Testament as well as possible, you should go to a synagogue. If you really want to understand the New as well as possible, you should study the OT, and then learn Κοινη Greek and study C1st history, which will probably involve going to a university.

If that sounds like too much, you can always invest in a Study Bible or a Biblical Commentary, either of which will tell you what other people thought the text meant.

 

[mark_a]

…and why can’t the Catholics do it? Teach the Bible, that is.

It’s no secret that the Catholic church has not been big on teaching the Bible. I fully understand that over 2,000 years the very wise men of the Magisterium have studied every detail of the Bible thoroughly and interpreted it via the Catechism.

That’s all well and fine, but I want to know about all of the Bible stories and their meaning. Situations such as Zechariah and Elizabeth who had a very similar experience to Abraham and Sarah, etc., etc., etc… I want to know EVERYTHING!

Protestants: How do your churches teach the Bible?

Catholics: What type of Bible study do your parishes have?

People such as myself used to blame the Church for poor catechesis, not teaching the bible, etc.

Shame on me.

As I recently relearned when my daughter was baptised, it is up to the parents to teach the faith, including how wonderfully biblical it is, to their children. The Chuch cannot substitute for the parents.

 

[happygal]

Well my church have a little different in structure. We have our very own School of Theology which covers some general base on foundation of NT/OT, act of preaching,preparing sermon, mission trip, healing, prayers…etc. This is for full time schooling only.

For all others members or new member we have bible class that covers general about the life of being a christian…example the important of prayer, what is salvation, what is tithing, moral of being a christian, Holy spirit, Holy Communion…etc…those foundation that all christian must know

Then there are individual bible book study which covers the learning of OT/NT. Depending on our pastor schedule, we used to have OT bible study during service couple of years ago. But now it stop due to our Pastor busy schedule traveling around the region for mission trip and foreign speaking. But members can go on to other independent bible institute to take on this kind of bible learning (like myself currently taking book of revelation taught by an retired Anglican priest)…

However i noticed, Catholic/Protestant in the US are more ardent to pick up the foundation of our faith then pple residing in my country. Most of them here in fact just a Sunday church goer. Lately i attend RCIA and was asking the father about running any teaching on early church of father, he told me this is too deep for the members thus the church does not have any intention to conduct it. So as i was sharing with the rest of the Catholic members that i do read Early Church of Father and there were shock that a protestant like me read those which is the foundation of Christianity and where some don’t even know what is Early Church of Father. Because they never hear of that before, simply during Mass it never being mentioned to them before so they never bother to find out themselves. Most of the Catholic in my country are Church driven then individual driven to develop their spiritual life. I have being talking with couple of my Catholic frez about understanding their Catholicism, and the answer was rather disappointing that they don’t seem to understand it well either. They just say as long as i go Sunday church will do, the rest i don’t know!!! of course i don’t apply that to all Catholic in my country, but i can guess only a handful of them really knows CC well!!!

 

[sea_oat]

How true

I don’t mean to bash anyone’s denomination, and I actually have a soft spot for Methodists; many of them are wonderful people. But I’ve noticed they need to be taken on a careful case-by-case basis, in terms of beliefs, more than Protestants of other denominations do.

I think the United Methodist Church actually puts ads out television now essentially saying they embrace each others’ varying beliefs. I wish I could find one of the ads on Youtube, but I don’t see any.

Anyway, sorry for straying from the topic.

 

[LeahInancsi]

People such as myself used to blame the Church for poor catechesis, not teaching the bible, etc.

Shame on me.

As I recently relearned when my daughter was baptised, it is up to the parents to teach the faith, including how wonderfully biblical it is, to their children. The Chuch cannot substitute for the parents.

I agree completely. The only problem is that it would be helpful if the Church helped. Too may Catholics are dependent on their parish for all of their religious needs. Therefore, if the Church doesn’t provide it, then they don’t need it. That’s not true.

I hate to see so many Catholics ignorant of the Bible and the Catechism. Learning is a life long venture. It shouldn’t stop at high school. The Church provides a foundation in CCD and it needs to be continued at home, thereafter. Too many people don’t understand this.

 

[LeahInancsi]

I don’t mean to bash anyone’s denomination, and I actually have a soft spot for Methodists; many of them are wonderful people. But I’ve noticed they need to be taken on a careful case-by-case basis, in terms of beliefs, more than Protestants of other denominations do.

I think the United Methodist Church actually puts ads out television now essentially saying they embrace each others’ varying beliefs. I wish I could find one of the ads on Youtube, but I don’t see any.

Anyway, sorry for straying from the topic.

I datee two Methodist young men very seriously in my early 20’s. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what their religion taught. It seemed to be very loose when I’m more comfortable with a structured religion such as Catholicism.

 

[LeahInancsi]

However i noticed, Catholic/Protestant in the US are more ardent to pick up the foundation of our faith then pple residing in my country. Most of them here in fact just a Sunday church goer. Lately i attend RCIA and was asking the father about running any teaching on early church of father, he told me this is too deep for the members thus the church does not have any intention to conduct it. So as i was sharing with the rest of the Catholic members that i do read Early Church of Father and there were shock that a protestant like me read those which is the foundation of Christianity and where some don’t even know what is Early Church of Father. Because they never hear of that before, simply during Mass it never being mentioned to them before so they never bother to find out themselves. Most of the Catholic in my country are Church driven then individual driven to develop their spiritual life. I have being talking with couple of my Catholic frez about understanding their Catholicism, and the answer was rather disappointing that they don’t seem to understand it well either. They just say as long as i go Sunday church will do, the rest i don’t know!!! of course i don’t apply that to all Catholic in my country, but i can guess only a handful of them really knows CC well!!!

I think it’s pretty much the same in this country. The people in this forum are the exception.

 

[ComradeAndrei]

I use to feel the same way until I started to study the bible. When I did I was like WOW–so much came alive for me. When I come across something that happened thousands of years ago and can directly link it to today’s world it just is an amazing AHA moment.

I also feel that reading the bible is really the only way to know God at a deeper level and His character. Im not saying you dont learn the bible at Mass. I understand where you are coming from. Reading the bible for yourself can help you grow in Christ at a much deeper level. I cant explain you have to experience it for yourself.

While St. Jerome (Sancte Hieronyme, ora pro nobis! ) says that “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ”, everyone doesn’t need to be a Bible scholar. Holy Mother Church nourishes us through Holy Mass with the Word in Scripture and in the Most Blessed Sacrament. The honest Catholic who pays attention at Mass will learn all the Bible they really need to learn to profit their salvation.

So, Bible study is among the devotionals-whatever works and is efficacious for the individual is fine. If Bible study deepens one’s faith-great, go for it. I do study the Bible, and I’ve participated in Bible studies and that was all fine and good.

 

[Fidelis]

I think the quote you attribute to Luther is a bit of “legend.” I’ve never seen any clear attribution to his writing that statement, though he has made statements using “dung,” but not this exact quote.

Rather than an actual quote from Luther, it is more of a summation of what he believed and taught, which is the real point of bringing it up.

For an interesting discussion of this, go here:

**Has Martin Luther’s “Snow-Covered Dunghill” Mystery-Legend Been Solved?! **
socrates58.blogspot.com/2005/10/has-martin-luthers-snow-covered.html

 

[VociMike]

When I was young (early 1960s) my mom ordered and received these monthly Catholic illustrated bible stories in a ring binder booklet format. I learned all the bible stories this way, before I even learned them in Catholic grade school.

I can’t remember the name of these booklets. All I remember is “Whoopsie the angel”, and I’m not even sure about that. But I learned my bible stories through them in the bad old pre-Vatican II days.

 

[jmcrae]

Yes, Bible reading begins in the home.

In families that have been Protestant for a really long time (generations) the habit of kitchen table Bible devotions is just part of the day. Breakfast time was Bible reading time, when I was a kid growing up - we had little monthly booklets (and a monthly missalette would be perfect for this, actually) that had prayers, stories, and a short Bible reading for the day. It took about 15-20 minutes to do this as a family, with Dad reading the Scripture verses and Mom leading the prayers, and us kids adding to the prayers whatever we wanted to add for each day.

 

[jemfinch]

…and why can’t the Catholics do it? Teach the Bible, that is.

Catholics do a better job, in fact; the Catholic interpretation is the Apostles’ interpretation, not the theological musings of a super-pope.

It’s no secret that the Catholic church has not been big on teaching the Bible.

It’s not secret, because it’s no truth. I hear more Bible in Mass on Sunday than I ever did in a worship service at my evangelical church prior to converting.

I fully understand that over 2,000 years the very wise men of the Magisterium have studied every detail of the Bible thoroughly and interpreted it via the Catechism.

And through other means.

That’s all well and fine, but I want to know about all of the Bible stories and their meaning. Situations such as Zechariah and Elizabeth who had a very similar experience to Abraham and Sarah, etc., etc., etc… I want to know EVERYTHING!

Since becoming Catholic, I’ve found better interpretations of many things that were never explained by any Protestant I knew of; things such as why Canaan was cursed for Ham’s sin, what the significance of the blood and water that poured from Christ’s side is, and so on.

Protestants: How do your churches teach the Bible?

Wrongly, on many counts

Jeremy